Abstract: A surgical positioning apparatus can be secured to a floor of an operating room or directly to an operating room table. The surgical positioning apparatus supports a limb of a patient using a telescoping strut mounted on a spherical joint. A disposable cradling device is coupled to the strut to secure the limb in position.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide a development tool that enables computer programmers to design and develop a data flow program for execution in a multiprocessor computer system. The tool allows the programmer to define a region divided into multiple blocks, wherein each block is associated with data operated on by code segments of the data flow program. The development tool also maintains dependencies among the blocks, each dependency indicating a relationship between two blocks that indicates that the portion of the program associated with a first block of the relationship needs the resultant data provided by the portions of the program associated with a second block of the relationship. The development tool supports several debugging commands, including insertion of multiple types of breakpoints, adding and deleting dependencies, single stepping data flow program execution, and the like.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a program designer to conveniently specify and support watchdog checking of a program under development. The resulting programs are more robust than programs developed without watchdog support. The method and systems provide a convenient, automated mechanism for adding watchdog support to a program. Thus, a developer need not incur the substantial time and effort costs that would be associated with manually designing and configuring separate watchdog programs. Rather, the methods and systems provide substantial assistance to the developer in designing a robust program.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gasketed fuel cell membrane electrode assembly comprising: a polymer electrolyte membrane; layers of anode and cathode catalyst; anode-side and cathode-side fluid transport layer; and anode-side and cathode-side gaskets; where the gaskets comprise an elastomeric gasket material which is impregnated into the outer edge portions of the respective fluid transport layer; and where at least a portion of the contact face of each gasket bears a raised-ridge microstructured contact pattern. The gasketed fuel cell membrane electrode assembly according to the present invention may additionally comprise a rigid, non-elastomeric anode-side and cathode-side shims positioned between at least a portion of the gasket and the polymer electrolyte membrane. The raised-ridge microstructured contact pattern preferably comprises ridges which meet at joining points, wherein no more than three ridges meet at any one joining point.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a program designer to conveniently specify and support watchdog checking of a program under development. The resulting programs are more robust than programs developed without watchdog support. The method and systems provide a convenient, automated mechanism for adding watchdog support to a program. Thus, a developer need not incur the substantial time and effort costs that would be associated with manually designing and configuring separate watchdog programs. Rather, the methods and systems provide substantial assistance to the developer in designing a robust program.

Abstract: This functions maintains two trees: a fast access tree referring to memory blocks of a size most often requested, and a general access tree referring to memory blocks of a size less often requested. After satisfying a request for a memory block, the function adjusts the trees to ensure that the fast access tree refers to memory blocks of the size most often requested. By providing such functionality, the function improves its performance over time through self-adaptation.

Abstract: A method and system makes inlining decisions that are efficient for subprograms that have significantly varying execution times over a range of variables or execution paths. A subprogram of a computer program is identified and certain execution paths of the subprogram are selectively inlined. The subprogram may be identified based on execution characteristics of the subprogram. The selective inlining of the execution paths may be based on execution characteristics of the paths. The paths may be selectively inlined based on an inline indication associated with an execution path, where the inline indication may be an inline directive. The inline directive may be included as part of a program comment statement. A compiler makes determinations whether to inline a specific execution path of a subprogram by evaluating certain information supplied in conjunction with the path.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide a memory instruction manager for managing the execution of instructions associated with a program. The memory instruction manager assigns a first group identifier to a first instruction associated with a program and to a second instruction associated with the program, and provides, after the first instruction, a memory barrier instruction having the first group identifier such that one or more processors with access to the program are inhibited from executing the second memory instruction until the first memory instruction is executed.

Abstract: A surgical positioning apparatus can be secured to a floor of an operating room or directly to an operating room table. The surgical positioning apparatus supports a limb of a patient using a telescoping strut mounted on a spherical joint. A disposable cradling device is coupled to the strut to secure the limb in position.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with this invention conserve computer resources in a hierarchical memory system by preventing scratch data from unnecessarily being copied from a lower hierarchy to a higher hierarchy storage space. Such methods and systems invalidate portions of data in the higher hierarchy storage space so that the coherence protocol does not copy the data to the lower hierarchy storage space. For example, methods and systems consistent with this invention hierarchically store data in a computer system having a main memory and a cache memory. Such methods and systems designate an area of the cache memory that contains scratch data as invalid, wherein the invalid data occupies less space than a maximum space of the cache memory, and permit a writing over of the invalid data in the cache memory.

Abstract: In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, a system that automatically generates Fortran 90 interfaces to Fortran 77 code is provided. These interfaces provide for the use of optional parameters and, because they are written in Fortran 90, also allow for parameter checking. These interfaces are automatically generated to allow a programmer to reap the benefits of Fortran 90 calling without having to rewrite the Fortran 77 underlying code.

Abstract: The illustrative armboard assembly includes a lockable first joint coupling an armboard to a support arm, a lockable second joint coupling the support arm to a mounting post and a lockable third joint coupling the mounting post to a mounting rail. The first joint is configured to permit movement of the armboard along the support arm and configured to permit movement of the armboard relative to the support arm about a first plurality of axes. The second joint is configured to permit movement of the support arm relative to the mounting post about a second plurality of axes. The third joint is configured to position the mounting post in a selected vertical position relative to the mounting rail and in a selected longitudinal position along the mounting rail.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention determine when multiple instances of a single program have reached a common break state, then initiate execution of a comparison of state information associated with the program instances. Thus, the methods and systems allow arbitrarily complex comparisons of indicators that reveal if a program instance is functioning correctly. A programmer is not limited by manual examination and review of program code. Rather, the methods and systems greatly facilitate debugging of complex programs.

Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a program designer to conveniently specify and support watchdog checking of a program under development. The resulting programs are more robust than programs developed without watchdog support. The method and systems provide a convenient, automated mechanism for adding watchdog support to a program. Thus, a developer need not incur the substantial time and effort costs that would be associated with manually designing and configuring separate watchdog programs. Rather, the methods and systems provide substantial assistance to the developer in designing a robust program.

Abstract: The illustrative armboard assembly includes a lockable first joint coupling an armboard to a support arm, a lockable second joint coupling the support arm to a mounting post and a lockable third joint coupling the mounting post to a mounting rail. The first joint is configured to permit movement of the armboard along the support arm and configured to permit movement of the armboard relative to the support arm about a first plurality of axes. The second joint is configured to permit movement of the support arm relative to the mounting post about a second plurality of axes. The third joint is configured to position the mounting post in a selected vertical position relative to the mounting rail and in a selected longitudinal position along the mounting rail.

Abstract: The present invention provides a gasketed fuel cell membrane electrode assembly comprising: a polymer electrolyte membrane; layers of anode and cathode catalyst; anode-side and cathode-side fluid transport layer; and anode-side and cathode-side gaskets; where the gaskets comprise an elastomeric gasket material which is impregnated into the outer edge portions of the respective fluid transport layer; and where at least a portion of the contact face of each gasket bears a raised-ridge microstructured contact pattern. The gasketed fuel cell membrane electrode assembly according to the present invention may additionally comprise a rigid, non-elastomeric anode-side and cathode-side shims positioned between at least a portion of the gasket and the polymer electrolyte membrane. The raised-ridge microstructured contact pattern preferably comprises ridges which meet at joining points, wherein no more than three ridges meet at any one joining point.

Abstract: In accordance with methods and systems consistent with the present invention, a system that automatically generates Fortran 90 interfaces to Fortran 77 code is provided. These interfaces provide for the use of optional parameters and, because they are written in Fortran 90, also allow for parameter checking. These interfaces are automatically generated to allow a programmer to reap the benefits of Fortran 90 calling without having to rewrite the Fortran 77 underlying code. When generating the interfaces, the method performs an optimization that saves a significant amount of processing time as well as a significant amount of memory. This optimization involves generating the interfaces in such a way as to prevent the compiler from performing a gather and a scatter.

Abstract: Method, systems and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention collects and displays performance data associated with executed programs. A system consistent with an implementation of the present invention collects performance analysis information from various hardware and software components of an instrumented program, and displays the performance data in a multi-dimensional format.

Abstract: Method, systems and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention collects and displays performance data associated with executed programs. A system consistent with an implementation of the present invention collects performance analysis information from various hardware and software components of an instrumented program, and displays the performance data in a multi-dimensional format.

Abstract: The illustrative armboard assembly includes a lockable first joint coupling an armboard to a support arm, a lockable second joint coupling the support arm to a mounting post and a lockable third joint coupling the mounting post to a mounting rail. The first joint is configured to permit movement of the armboard along the support arm and configured to permit movement of the armboard relative to the support arm about a first plurality of axes. The second joint is configured to permit movement of the support arm relative to the mounting post about a second plurality of axes. The third joint is configured to position the mounting post in a selected vertical position relative to the mounting rail and in a selected longitudinal position along the mounting rail.